Opinion: Please Stop The End-of-Year Negativity Fad

I know this doesn't really have a lot to do with books, or movies, or stories, but I am the boss of this blog and I can do what I want. But this needs to get out there to combat the feelings I've been seeing every December. 

In 2016 it was because lots of celebrities died. In 2017 it was probably because of Trump. (I think.) In 2018...I don't really know why.

The latest trend seems to be hating and complaining on how bad the previous year was every December. I don't know if it's because of politics, or if people are just grumpy. But it's gotten out of hand. Being pessimistic and angry is becoming a fad, and it needs to quit. Of course I'm talking about talking about how bad every year is. We live in a world where good and bad things happen, and of course you don't have to focus solely on the good. But, my gosh, have we gotten obnoxious as a species when it comes to pessimism!

I write a post about this because people have now gotten hard to be around. But why try so hard to focus on the bad and get others to as well? Why is that necessary? Is it worth it to write off your year because of 2 or 3 events that maybe didn't even impact you? 

Actually, sometimes it is literally becoming a meme. Go on Pinterest in December and you'll find all sorts of text posts like maybe the caption "2018 summed up in one picture" with a picture of a literal dumpster fire. These images don't provide any reasoning, but they take off quickly. I get the feeling that these are posted, someone sees it, their minds go to politics or something, and then they agree and get it repinned. People are literally jumping on the negativity bandwagon.

I will never understand why so many people are spending so much energy on trying to be unhappy and spreading it around.

A couple of complaints I might see....

"There were wildfires that destroyed California!" We live on Earth, and Earth has weather. Sometimes these weather events are unfortunate. You know what's great about this country? The way that everyone comes together to help. What about that? That was a good thing. It's very silly to drown in despair because there was a fire several states away. (This statement does not apply to you if you live in said area.)

"Trump!" Yes. He is a bad president.  But why let him ruin your year? In fact, I think it's almost fortunate he's pretty immature. He doesn't have time to actually inflict anything terrible because he's so caught up in staff drama. And in year 4, he's probably going to be too busy campaigning to do anything. Take the president with a grain of salt. Nobody complained about how bad 2005 was after Bush was president...adding to my point that these attitudes are becoming a fad. He'll be out in a few years. If he's bothering you, turn it into positivity and get into activism. Have a good time with it.

"Lots of celebrities died!" This was a biggie in 2016. The kicker is that a lot of the people that complained weren't huge fans of every single celebrity who left us. This is a great example of complaining for the sake of being unhappy.

Keep in mind that you need to take the news with a grain of salt. The news channels need to find ways to draw us in in an era of instant information, so they must get the worst dramatic stories possible. A lot of what I see these days doesn't even really strike me as important news. I prefer the local programs these days...much less drama.

But I think what bothers me most is how everyone treats "this year was bad" as a fact. I used to love BuzzFeed's 2018 recap articles. Now they're just variously subtle digs on how "bad everything was." Thrillist did the same thing. Even kindness queen Ellen DeGeneres has constantly been beating us over the head with the message that "we need happiness right now more than ever." Would someone mind telling me why? We're hardly living in the dark ages here. Just because politics suck doesn't mean they should ruin or run your life. This is not the most politically charged time in history, but people are just now using it as a platform to be miserable and complain about the last 365 days. I'd never seen this before 2012. Again, this only proves that negativity is becoming a fad with little substance behind it.

Of course, I'm mainly talking about BuzzFeed and Tumblr, who isn't happy about anything, so, you know. Maybe not the best way of getting a point across. Google has been doing it too. But the problem here isn't necessarily the complaining; it's the attitude that's catching. And for the rest of us, it's really unpleasant speaking with anyone in December now.

And what about you? What about the times you had with your best friend? What about the time you went on vacation and met a favorite reality star (yep, me and my parents)? What about that free trip to Hershey you won (again, us)? What about Hanukkah and Easter and Christmas and Thanksgiving and your fabulous Halloween costume? Are you honestly going to forget about those things because Trump is a bad president? Since when did politics determine everyone's life? And personally, whether you like the political climate or not, you can't deny that positive changes are happening, even if politics are slow. I think that recent activism is a good thing. It shows that people care.

There was plenty to smile about this year. PLENTY. Dabbing and flossing, if that's your thing. The Thailand soccer players getting out of the cave alive. Good movies and books to be enjoyed. The winter Olympics. And because this is a book blog I should also bring up the Great American Read.

You don't have to see the world through rose-colored glasses all the time, but, internet: please stop creating a culture of unhappiness by acting like it's a fact that the previous year was terrible and assuming all others think the same. Journalists and writers have more of a responsibility here....I'm especially looking at Buzzfeed. Fortunately, it is mostly the internet community.

Or maybe you did have a bad year. That's fine. It happens. People go through tough times, and that's life. I had one in 2012. In that case, I wish you the best for next year. But there's no need to whine about how "bad everything is" just because everyone else is.

Life is short; let's find reasons to be happy. And do it for our sake, so going on the internet or interacting with people isn't an unpleasant experience. Hopefully this fad will come to an end, but we all need to work to stop it. Bad attitudes are something we could all resolve to lose in 2019.

And that concludes my needlessly in-depth, wordy rant. If you got this far, I give you a virtual cookie for listening.



Whether you had a good or bad year, we still have books. And if you need something to look forward to, my 2018 Book Awards just came out, and there is quite the mixture of good and bad there if you want to check them out!

ABTP 2018 Book Awards

I always like to look back at the things that happened over the past year at the end of December, and it's no different with what I read. So this is the official start of my annual book awards, as long as this blog stays around that long. Keep in mind that I give awards to books I read in that year, not necessarily ones that were published at that time.

You can see every book I read this year at my Goodreads "read in 2018" list. You can also see all the statistics on the books I read this year on my profile.

On with the awards!

/Best Women's Fiction

award name subject to change based on the books read during that year

I would first like to give an honorary shout out to My So-Called Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella. This was a great book that read like a movie, and perfect if you like the chick-lit thing, yet not so much that you wouldn't be able to take it. It's also written well. It almost pains me to have to say it's a runner-up; I thought this was going to win. But, I don't like ties because that defeats the purpose. The real winner is...

Big Little Lies; Liane Moriarty

Yep. Here I am, on the bandwagon. But it's good. It's really interesting, suspenseful, and has spot-on social commentary all at once. I love the three main characters and their personalities; I really like the dynamics between their kids; I love the suspense; I love the buildup to the suspense with additions of characters' conversations; I love the idea of a Hepburn/Elvis fundraiser. I love just about everything here. The only thing that disappointed me a little was how the climactic moment ended- SPOILER ALERT (highlight): it almost seemed like a total and complete accident while the book made it out to be larger. Still, if you don't like murder mysteries but like tension, this is a good one for you. This was really fun to read, and one of those books that you try to stretch out so you don't finish too quickly.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk; Kathleen Rooney

Not only does the MC's life encompass several decades, but the book's writing style is timeless as well. Lillian Boxfish reminds me of many a nostalgic, thoughtful narrator in books I've read in the past. While I didn't love all aspects of her (who would love all aspects of anyone?), that made her more realistic and relatable even though I'm nowhere close to 84. I should mention that the concept is also timeless. Lillian is essentially taking a walk through town remembering her life and all the events that led up to this moment, including memorable people and places. Some of her stories were more memorable than others, but what I also liked about her storytelling was that it was just pleasant to "listen to," even though it wasn't an audiobook. The style should give it at least some kind of staying power.

My So-Called Perfect Life; Sophie Kinsella

does win this one! Even while I was reading it, I was impressed with the plot structure. It's pretty character driven and our MC relies on talents and skills to get her into mishaps and to move up in the world. The subplots are also laid out really well; I love the glamping business that her family sets up and its atmosphere adds to the charm as well. The whole thing reads like a movie and I wouldn't be surprised if it became one. Just because it's "chick-lit" doesn't mean it has to be corny, dumbed down, or less of a story. For what it is, it does a great job of storytelling. 

All right. This is hard. I've read 9 suspenseful books this year, 6 of which I consider good. So after much thought, the winner is going to have to be....

The Wife Between Us

As far as thrillers go, this one kept me going with twists and turns. It's not conventional suspense, per se, but so many things were not what they seemed that it kept me on my toes and wondering what the truth actually was. I kept thinking about this book even when I wasn't immersed in the pages, particularly when a twist arrived. And it lasts throughout the entire book, too. I also never reviewed this one; it's hard to without giving anything away. Here's a quick one: read it, it's good. 

Admittedly, there was a lot here, but the biggest runner-ups would probably be Big Little Lies, Never Let You Go, and The Other Woman. 

Big Little Lies; Liane Moriarty

This was a tough one, especially because I'm not always focused on the writing itself while reading. There were several good candidates here, but based on nitpicky decision making, this one wins out. The characters are good and have personality, the plot structure clicks along well, and the suspense is done in a way that I'd never seen before, and I think it works. It reads and feels like real life, without any wordy language trying to get in the way so the author can impress you. 

Big Little Lies; Liane Moriarty

Well, look who won again! The characters here were well drawn, simply put. Everyone had a distinct personality. You have Madeline's sharp tongue, Jane's sweet demeanor, and Celeste's so-called beautiful life.  Even the kids have personality, but not to the point of being corny or having the author shoving their unique quirks in our face 24/7. They also develop well. We have women learning to stand up for themselves, women who learn they're wrong and try to move on, and a sizable cast of minor characters who are fabulously entertaining as well. So, this is a pretty clear winner to me. 

Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty

Yes, another Moriarty novel. I swear I'm just not jumping on the bandwagon! I really liked the style of this book and how it brought something new and fresh to the domestic realm. I liked how it built up to the event in question (though many readers actually didn't like this), I liked the interesting characters (Moriarty actually did her research when she made one of the characters a cellist...how fascinating!). It was so different...three different families, but who is the one who could have stopped a life-stopping incident at their barbeque? I've never heard anything like it, and that's hard in books these days. Another one I thoroughly enjoyed reading and couldn't wait to continue after I put it down.

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 535 Easy-ish Steps; Kelly Williams Brown

Out of the few...read, three... non-fiction books I read this year, this is a clear winner. It probably didn't help that the other two choices were coffee table books. But really, even if it weren't for that, this might have won anyway. This was a surprisingly fun book to read with some pretty good advice. There are a couple minor flaws (info boxes that try too hard to be funny, a surplus of advice about online dating but none about "real world" dating, etc.) ,but they can be overlooked.

And no, it's not a sign of millenials being  so "pathetic" that they need a book to tell them how to do things, because I'm sure this will be brought up eventually. Everyone needs to learn this stuff, even if you baby boomers didn't learn it from a book, and there are some advice bits I'd never thought of either. This is a great graduation gift, too. In fact, it was even marketed as such when I got it from Barnes & Noble. This is actually a really nice book and entertaining as well.

Before I announce the winner, I would like to present the nominees, aka my Top Five. These are the books I most enjoyed reading over the course of the year and were written well to boot. Keep in mind that this isn't the Oscars; if the winner doesn't win in a lot of other categories, I didn't choose it due to political correctness. It's more likely due to the fact that my awards span many categories and many books won't even be eligible for too many at once.

Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
The Wife Between Us, Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks
My Not-So Perfect Life, Sophie Kinsella
Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty 
Adulting; Kelly Williams Brown



And the winner is....

Big Little Lies; Liane Moriarty

Yep. This book takes the cake. It was super fun to read, and suspenseful. I was a bit shocked, because I did feel like it was flawed in places. But that's the thing about reading: a lot of it is subjective, and writers will never reach perfection. And really, the flaws WERE pretty nitpicky. A truly fun read!

I was fortunate enough not to read too many horrible books this year. However, that's not to say there weren't clunkers or misfires.

Before we get to our winner, here are some of the books I just didn't love. Runners up, if you will.

The Perfect Neighbors; Sarah Pekkanen. To be fair, a lot of this was probably a marketing issue. I was told that a woman would be stalking her ex-husband and that people had horrible secrets among other things. (The first woman walked by her husband's house once, maybe twice, and the woman with the horrible secret was sort of justified and nothing comes of it anyway.) Still, more effort would have been nice. There are three different stories told here, but they don't really have anything to do with one another. And the woman with the extra-terrible secret? Nothing comes of it. So why put her story in with the other women if it won't end up mattering? It's not a terrible book necessarily, but it was a disappointment.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. UGH. I just...ugh. Do you ever read books that infuriate you so much that you actually have to keep putting it down because you couldn't take it anymore? This book had so much potential and thought-provoking discussion. And then Picoult absolutely ruined it with the romance between our MC and the justice official that she is working with, which is clearly only there because she took the first male character she saw and took it to mean that they were destined for one another. I'm not just saying this. That's the only clear reason there's a romance there! All the seriousness of their plans is brought to ruin when they do get together (I think they've seen each other like three times by that point?) and their mission to catch the bad guy who actually did pretty terrible things is filled with flirting. They don't take their goal seriously at all. Heck, they're flirting at FUNERALS. It's so inappropriate for the context of this novel, which should be centering around her grandmother's Holocaust experience and finding justice in the present. And the official's point of view wasn't something we needed either. I really didn't care about his dating life. 200 pages could easily have been cut and nothing of value would have been lost.

But there were good points. The morals were interesting, and Minka's story of the concentration camps captivated me the most by far. That itself would have been a good book. So no, it's not the worst book I read this year. But....this may be the most pointless romance I've ever seen. So much so, that it lessened the subject material, brought the book down as a whole, and I just can't take it as seriously after that. I should also mention that the final plot twist doesn't make any sense and is only there for shock value...and that's not just my speculation. It's so rushed and lacks so much explanation that it's clearly just there for shock value.



A Simple Favor; Darcey Bell. I am apparently not alone in this one. There's incest for no other reason than...including sketchy behavior I guess. The main characters are totally unlikable and stupid. There is every "missing person" cliche in the book...dumb detectives, a twin sister, and a Spanish housekeeper that keeps calling her boss "Senora." *cringe*  If you don't initially realize the climax is taken from/inspired by a movie, don't worry. The author will point this out to you. And the twist is interesting, yes. But there are no consequences for anyone, and the one character doesn't even find out about it. This book really just could have ended halfway through.

Not the worst book, because I did enjoy the blogging aspect and the initial suspense. But when I'm not sure who the villain is (and I'm supposed to know), it loses something.



And the winner is....

You Will Know Me; Megan Abbott

I'm going to get hate for this one. I'm sorry. I just don't get the hype. She gets so caught up in her wordy language that I forget what I'm reading about and have to go back. Not to mention that she had 5-6 choice phrases that she loves using again and again. This book really intrigued me about halfway through, and then it got really dull again. It didn't help that I thought it was pretty dang obvious who was behind everything, especially after one particular scene. I'm not exactly a star detective, either. It also didn't help that it didn't really have a focus. Was it about the parent relationship between star gymnast Devon and her parents? Devon who, by the way, is really boring and robotic? (Gee, it's almost like she's too boring...) Was it the thriller aspect of "who killed this person and why?" Was it about sibling rivalry (that said, I also didn't care for Devon's brother who seems to speak in riddles for some reason)? Or was it about how far parents will go to push their kids? I saw hints of that too, which could have been interesting, but there's not a lot of follow through. It's marketed as everyone being sad after someone in their community dies, but that's about all we get. 

I should also mention that this book lacks an ending too. This is a trend I don't care for. I buy and read books because I want to know what happens, not so I can invent one or "feel the tension." This might be for you if you like "book noir," per se. Otherwise I just didn't enjoy it, I'm sorry, but it wasn't for me. 

Movie Monday: Official Ranking of the Office Christmas Episodes

When The Office got things right, it got them right. Among those they got right was Christmas. They never put out a bad holiday episode (heck, I even enjoyed the Valentines ones), but the Christmas episodes were truly the star atop the holiday tree. Along with some pretty solid plots and typical Michael gaffes, we got to enjoy the most awkward office parties that we'll ever see. But at the same time, they were fun. Secret Santas, karaoke sessions, and parties courtesy of the party planning committee all took center stage. Here is my official ranking.

Christmas Wishes (S8)

One would expect an episode stuck in season 8, often considered the worst season, to not get a lot of credit. Well...yes and no. Basically Andy promises to make everyone's Christmas wish come true...at least that's what the synopsis says. There's not a huge focus here. I don't love the part with Andy's girlfriend, clearly being utilized to make Erin jealous. It seems kind of forced and not funny. Meanwhile, after complaints from Cathy, Andy announces to Jim and Dwight that if one of them pranks the other he will give both their bonuses to the one who was pranked. This leads to both of them pulling out all the stops to make it look like they are actually pranking each other, and Jim still comes out on top anyway. And don't forget the traditional Secret Santa scenes set to music, which are always classic. It's not the best episode but it's still pretty festive.



Moroccan Christmas (S5)

It's not a bad episode, but is by far the least Christmas-ey, so this one's near the bottom of my list. Meredith's hair catches fire after she has been drinking too much at Phyllis' Moroccan-inspired party, and so Michael improperly decides to stage an intervention to the employees' chagrin. It's the most awkward Christmas party that you'll ever see. It's also an episode where you'll wonder how in the world that Michael wasn't fired immediately after. From a holiday standpoint, it doesn't do that much for me, but it's a good episode on its own.

Meanwhile there are subplots. There's one where Dwight buys all the popular dolls in the area and then resells them at outrageous prices, which was mildly entertaining. There's another where Angela gets her just desserts, like she did in the previous Christmas episode: Phyllis now holds power over her after she catches Angela making out with Dwight in the office. If Angela doesn't want her secret spilled, she must do exactly what Phyllis asks. It's resolved in a different way than you'd think.





Secret Santa (S6)

Who will be Santa: Phyllis or Michael? That is the debacle of this year's Christmas party and Michael's temper tantrums don't help. Then Michael gets word that Dunder Mifflin is out of business and leaks it to his employees. You'd think this one would be a little dark, but it's surprisingly fun and lighthearted with the usual silliness. The secret Santa scenes themselves are also nice and put you in the Christmas spirit. I always like seeing what everyone got and the capturing of these little moments. But my favorite moments are at the end with Bob and Phyllis kissing and both dressed as Santa (Michael: "Get a room, Santas!") and then again with Andy getting Erin twelve drummers drumming as her final "12 Days" secret santa gift.




Dwight Christmas (S9)

Dwight gets the spotlight in this one, where he dresses up as Belsnickel rather than Santa Claus to determine whether each employee is impish or admirable at his Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas party. Not everyone is thrilled with a party planned by Dwight, except for Jim and Pam, who love every moment of it. I like this episode because it really shows how the Dwight/Jim/Pam friendship has evolved and is more than just pranks. This is especially true at the end; Dwight Christmas also serves as the calm before the storm in Jim and Pam's romantic life. Yes, there is a traditional Christmas party in the end when Dwight wants to make things up to Pam after Jim leaves for Philly.

Let's talk about the subplot. After Erin doesn't get a Die Hard reference, she and Pete watch the movie together. I really like the chemistry between them, and let's face it....they're a much better couple than Erin and Andy. Of course, I may be slightly jealous of Erin. ;)  It really starts to show hints of their relationship. I like the chemistry here. Oh, and Darryl isn't happy that Jim seems to have forgotten him in planning his new company. How does the show end its final Christmas special? By zooming out of the group looking down on a drunk Darryl, who has fallen backwards onto the refreshment table and crashed onto the floor. Welp, Merry Christmas to all!




Classy Christmas Parts 1 and 2 (S7)

The best part about this episode? There's two of them to enjoy! Somehow, I used to not like this one which shocks me now. The premise is that Holly is coming back to Scranton and Michael wants to scratch the traditional party and impress with a classy one, only to find out that Holly is serious with someone else. Of course not everything goes to plan, from the live music to Michael taking out his frustrations very childishly on a Woody doll. There's a lot of Christmas tradition here, too. Pam and Darryl go find the perfect Christmas tree, Darryl wants to impress his daughter during the party (in a different way than planned, again), and Pam makes a great gift for Jim.

The only thing I wonder about here is if Jim is out of character. Dwight decides to get his revenge with an intense snowball fight and Jim seems unusually furious about it, to the point of looking like he's about to cry at times. That's not really what I expect from that character, but whatever. I like how Dwight puts an end to everything, too.



Christmas Party (S2)

The Christmas episode that started it all. Michael wants to plan the best party of all time after he gets a definitely not Jelly-of-the-Month club bonus, and uses some of it to buy a super expensive Secret Santa gift even though the limit was $20. But after he gets a homemade oven mitt as his gift, he insists on turning it into a Yankee Swap solely so he can get something better. This doesn't go over well with the employees since they've picked personalized gifts for each other. Especially for Phyllis, whose handmade mitt is rebuffed by Michael, and for Jim, who created the perfect gift for Pam.

This is number one for most people in the Christmas realm, and I can see why. It's classic Michael with an extra side of Grinchiness.  But I do like a couple of others better than this one, though it's very close. The only thing that's curious to me is Pam's behavior. I'm not sure I believe that Pam would seriously choose the iPod over Jim's teapot given the choice. She ultimately ends up with the teapot, adding that "Roy is getting me an iPod anyway." (Otherwise she'd get a sweater from him.) You're better than that, Pam!



A Benihana Christmas (S3)

Why is this not just one of my favorite Christmas episodes, but one of my favorites of all time? It has everything great. It has Angela getting her just desserts. It has a fabulous Christmas party with the obligatory moments of employees just having fun and singing karaoke. It has two should-be rivals, Pam and Karen, collaborating in the name of good (to get Angela back), but then joining forces in the spirit of Christmas. It has a good Dwight prank. It has ridiculous Michael dating moments and even has you thinking that somehow he's going to get the girl he picked up...and then getting something better.

To summarize, Michael is sad because his girlfriend broke up with him and Andy takes him to Benihana to cheer him up, where he meets a cute waitress. Back at the office, Angela gets snippy with Karen at the party planning committee meeting, so Pam decides to team up with her to throw their own party instead. I hate girl drama, but that story is fun, and Angela more than deserves what comes to her (the "revenge" is everyone enjoying the other party much better than hers). Oh, and the thing about their collaboration? This episode helped me through a tough time when I was in Pam's shoes, meaning that the guy I liked was dating another girl. Eventually we even made nice with each other. I'm pretty sure I partially owe that to this episode. And it's not easy for Pam, either. Jim decides to stop pranking Dwight to look more responsible in front of Karen, which means he also initially rejects Pam's present to him. (Nooooooo!)

It's the little moments, too. Michael's complete ignorance again (at all Asian women looking the same), Kevin, Kelly, Dwight, and Angela singing karaoke, and Andy and Dwight's continued bickering all add to a great storyline.

But like in all Christmas episodes, everything ends on a positive note. A really good, Christmasey, feel-good episode with everything but the kitchen sink.





Merry Christmas everyone! Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices? 

The Evolution of Jon Arbuckle: A Fan Study of The World's Most Loved Geek

Many longtime lovers of Garfield criticize the strip for repetitive humor, dumbing it down to appeal to kids, and for silencing storylines with Jon's new relationship. I don't necessarily agree and think that Garfield's world is as great as ever, although simple and repetitive at times. I will always love Garfield's simple world.

But there's one quandary in that world: the character of Jon Arbuckle.

He starts off actually pretty....normal. Most of the humor came from the cat himself. But as time went on, he got a little strange. So how did Jon dissolve and then revolve again (kind of)? Here's my theories.

All comics taken from GoComics and Garfield.com. 

In high school, Jon wasn't too popular. Perhaps farm life didn't produce very cool people (his prom theme was Daily Products for Strong Bones), because Jon was never truly that out of the loop and sometimes seemed to fit in, moreso than maybe even his parents. When Jon's parents came to visit his new city digs for the first time, his dad seemed shocked by Jon's indoor toilet and his mom confessed they hadn't left the farm since the 50s.

Jon was even nominated to the homecoming court as court jester. He also had his share of friends, as shown when former pal Wheezer came to visit. Still, many of those friends and classmates were just as geeky as he was.

And from peeking into his yearbook, we can see that farm culture produced quite a few geeks. But what do you expect from a place where people like Jon's parents hardly ever leave?

His brother Doc Boy shared some of the same dweeby habits as well. One Christmas look through the family photo album revealed a recent shot of Doc Boy dancing through the cornfields. On a visit to Jon's house, he was just as clueless, if not more so, on how to attract women. This dweebiness stuck with Jon and eventually molded him into who he is today. But Doc Boy wasn't the only one. Jon came from a whole line of wacky relatives.

A fresh college graduate, Jon moved near the city to pursue his dream of being a cartoonist, which we hear little about but is likely why he is home so much. He found a roommate called Lyman and they had a fairly typical relationship. Most of the humor in their comic conversations came from punch lines they had in seemingly normal chats...and from Garfield himself. Maybe urban life was having its effect on Jon.

In his young adult years, Jon played the dating pool and made attempts to be a gentlemen. His farm upbringing didn't really help him and he didn't find a whole lot of success. The dates that did go well (he was able to pick up a few things from his new urban environment) usually ended up in him rejecting them, which is a far cry from the Jon we know and love today. Even Jon had standards and could realize when a woman wasn't a good match.

One of these women was Dr. Liz Wilson, Garfield's vet. Jon would constantly flirt with her only to be shot down....however, Liz did accept once or twice back in the early years, once Jon got to the point and stopped acting like a dweeb. It seemed like the relationship did not work out, as Jon continued to date other women for years.

But as time went on, Jon just couldn't find a suitable woman. He needed more maturity than the typical people he ran into, which could have fit in better on Jon's farm. This is one example of one of Jon's many bad dates. He failed to impress women with desperate attempts at humor, a lack of charm, and just being boring. These desperate behaviors caused many bad dates. It didn't help that Lyman had left for a while, leaving Jon with very few people to talk to...other than his cat.

In the 80s, Jon did continue to make friends when Lyman was no longer in the picture but had a harder time of it without a typical guy around to influence him. Jon was left alone with his own personality to rely on. They weren't very cool friends, but Jon had more in common with these people than he did with any of his current acquaintances. There has even been evidence of Jon having his own club...a club where men would gather to make fart noises, but a club nonetheless.




He could also be seen at parties, particularly in the New Year. At a high school reunion, he also enjoyed spending time with former classmates.

So Jon did fit in, on the farm, to a degree. Perhaps it was modern life where he didn't belong. Additionally,  these people grew up while Jon kept his geeky habits that he grew up with. After once having some stable relationships and then having those people outgrow him, he truly reverted back to his geeky ways. "Be yourself," right? He could often be happy on his own, an admirable trait. Sometimes he tried too hard to prove that he was a happy single. But sometimes this happiness led to him being looked down on, including by his own pets.

Jon stopped having the standards he once had and was willing to date any girl because of his loneliness. In fact, getting an email was so exciting that he would have to tell the world. This was a low point in Jon's life, but made for good humor for the rest of us.

On July 28, 2006, history was made. There is an idea that suggests the more you are around someone, the more you grow to like them. Perhaps using Liz' services paid off. It actually came about after Jon finally snagged a date with longtime love interest Ellen. Ellen had amnesia and couldn't remember anything; the date was going well, but Jon couldn't truly connect. Then Jon spotted Liz at the same restaurant on a date of her own. He went to talk to her, which made her date unhappy. But Ellen couldn't care less about who she was with, not being able to remember anything. So the pairs swapped dates and ended up having a good time. 

Don't you worry; Jon still retained his geeky personality. Not only did he really not know any better, but he figured that Liz liked his personality. He wasn't quite as self-conscious, but Liz was, and despite enjoying her time with him was often embarrassed by his public behavior. Regardless, she still enjoys spending time with him, and why not? He's a nice enough guy, if not a bit bizarre. They've been together ever since that fateful night in 2006 and, while showing no signs of a coming marriage, show that they will be together for years to come. Of course, for being at least sixty-something, Jon is looking pretty darn good. So is Liz. So perhaps they still have plenty of time.


The special A Garfield Thanksgiving also poses something interesting. When Jon takes Garfield to the vet the day before Thanksgiving, Liz ends up accepting Jon's invitation to dinner which is the very next day. Does that mean that Liz had no plans with family? Was she just as lonely as Jon? Perhaps that is why the two ended up finding love. They are two lonely people who needed each other.

As Garfield put it...you can take the boy out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy. And I think that sums up Jon pretty well.

What do you think of Garfield? 

Movie Monday: The Best and Worst Christmas Specials I've Seen

Because movies are stories in their own right, this is a new feature I've come out with. Every so often, I'll review a film or even a show that captured my interest. The holiday season is coming, so you can expect a lot of holiday special reviews as well.

Today I want to tell you which Christmas specials I like, and which I don't. Now I haven't seen every special in existence, so these are only going to be the ones I have seen for obvious reasons.

You're in for a fairly lengthy but hopefully entertaining read.

Christmas Specials I Like (ascending order)

These go from "kind of meh" to awesome.

Rudolph 2: The Island of Misfit Toys

Yeah, I'm surprised too. A CGI sequel in addition to the already existing horrid Rudolph sequels?

But this is more like it. Rudolph and his buddies, including Hermy and Yukon Cornelius returning the second time around, want to find out who's terrorizing the misfit toys. It's basically Christmas meets Toy Story 3. And it's actually not that bad of a special, or could at least be a lot worse. The characters are instantly recognizable and some of the scenes are kind of interesting and action-packed. An instant classic? Maybe not. But it's a nice little story, if not a little predictable (again, think Toy Story 3), one that I wouldn't mind showing to my own kids. It's more official than the other "sequels."

The Year Without a Santa Claus

This could very easily have gone down as one of the terrible Rankin-Bass specials, but it's not. The premise is that Santa is getting a bit tired of his job, believing that there is no more Christmas spirit. So it's up to two of his elves to go down south and find some. Maybe making it snow in an unusually warm place will do the trick, if they can convince the two Miser Brothers to make it happen.

If you haven't seen this, it's obvious that you might be thinking this one's a little weird. But it's not. It's not the greatest of the classics, but it has some charm: the Miser Brothers are actually great and iconic characters, the songs here are actually pretty darn good, and there's some decent humor. Granted, I can take or leave this one, but there are some claymation specials that are far worse.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (animated)

I'm always surprised when I hear that Dr Seuss didn't actually like this classic adaptation of the mean Grinch who goes down to Whoville and steals every Christmas detail from the village. It seems to capture all the charm of the regular book (just look at the Whos!). It has the classic song, a good message, and very memorable characters and rhymes. What more can I say?

It's a Wonderful Life

I like the plot here, but it's a little lower on the list because it doesn't necessarily scream Christmas to me. It definitely had me hooked the first time I saw it, and it's a nice story. We need more movies like this, that aren't just for kids but aren't filled with raunchy humor either. If the story of George's life doesn't thrill you, the second half with Clarence the angel probably will. It's just a solid, enjoyable story.

The Disney Christmas Specials

I'm putting these in a bundle just because they're all equal. I've actually forgotten to include "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Very Merry Christmas Songs" here, two sing-a-long videos that are classics, especially the former. 

Mickey's Christmas Carol is just that: the timeless classic with Disney characters. For a short special, they absolutely do this story justice. The time period and characters just feel right (Uncle Scrooge as Scrooge...perfect). 

Mickey's Magical Christmas is a House of Mouse special with several classic cartoons, including Mickey's Christmas Carol. When everyone gets snowed in at the House of Mouse, they gather to watch special holiday cartoons while trying to get Donald into the Christmas spirit. 

Once/Twice Upon a Christmas are just a compilation of original Disney Christmas tales, and they're pretty memorable. I would say these are the best of the three choices. It's hard to pick which one I like best. I wanted to hate the sequel for the CGI, but honestly...everything is so spot-on that it feels like classic Disney. Don't pass this one by.

In Once, we watch as Huey, Dewey, and Louie wish for Christmas to happen every day, Max tries to believe in Santa, and as Mickey and Minnie play out a version of Gift of the Magi. In Twice, we watch as Minnie and Daisy get competitive at a skating competition, Huey Dewey and Louie sneak to the North Pole to make the Nice List and accidentally cause chaos, Max brings a girl home for Christmas only to be embarrassed by Goofy, Donald's grumpy attitude nearly ruins his family's holiday, and as Pluto runs away to the North Pole after getting in trouble. People say that Twice isn't that good, but I have to disagree. I think they did a good job with it and it feels like classic Disney to me.



         

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Unhappy with the greed of his friends, Charlie Brown sets out to find the true meaning of Christmas by directing the Christmas pageant. It goes exactly the way you'd think it would, until Linus steps in and shares the real meaning. Then everyone comes together to give Charlie Brown a great gift. Classy, not too flashy, and uplifting, this is one of the best Charlie Brown holiday specials (although Easter Beagle and Great Pumpkin are both better in my opinion). It's short and sweet, everything you'd want from a Charlie Brown holiday. Peanuts specials do tend to be a bit disjointed/unclear with the story, but you just have to throw that out the window. They're good specials.

If you're watching the TV version, be sure to also check out Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales afterward. It's a collection of holiday snippets, most of them takes straight from the comic. I like seeing my favorite strips play out on screen. I think it's cute. 

Christmas Inheritance

This is a fairly recent Netflix special I watched in July because I heard that an actor I liked was in it. It's definitely Hallmark-y; the main character is even inheriting a company that's identical. Basically, her father wants to send her to the small town of Snow Falls to hand-deliver a Christmas letter to her Uncle Zeke...but he only gives her $100 with which to do it, to get rid of her spoiled habits. To save money, she does work at a local inn to earn her keep and forms a relationship with the owner. As time passes and she still can't track down her uncle, she begins to get to know the power of charity by helping the town's residents plan some wonderful Christmas events. 

Yes, it's somewhat corny at times. But I used to have a bias against Hallmark movies, until I realized that some of them can actually make you feel really good! The romance isn't over-the-top (the super sappy fairy tale-esque movies do turn me off), which helped, and it really does put you in the Christmas spirit. If you're into that sort of thing, or are just looking to break into the genre, give it a try. I had more fun with this than I expected and I started thinking of Hallmark movies a little differently. 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The classic tale of "everything that can go wrong will," Christmas Vacation is one of those that doesn't have as strong of a plot. Still, when Clark has the whole family (including Cousin Eddie) over for Christmas, the antics provided more than make up for it. At least that long anticipated Christmas bonus will make up for it, right? It's a full-on laugh fest that will make you realize that it's not who's around the tree that matters, but....well, yeah, it does, but not in the way that you think. In fact, sometimes that wacky family and their mishaps make the holiday. 

A Garfield Christmas

Surely this one is underrated. Garfield wakes up to discover that he has been given lasagnas and a gift-giving machine for Christmas. It turns out that this is a dream, and what he will actually be doing is driving down to the farm with Jon and Odie to visit the family. Together they have dinner, read bedtime stories, trim the tree, open gifts, and sing carols. Garfield also forms a relationship with Grandma and comes up with something nice for her on Christmas Day. It's not plot-heavy, but I always look forward to this one. I love seeing Garfield celebrate the holidays on screen, and seeing his family is also very nostalgic and enjoyable to watch. Some of the songs are filler, yes, but otherwise this special is short but sweet. Good to watch if you like the comic.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

This one does a great job of answering all the questions about Santa and explaining his origin story. Essentially, a baby boy ends up blowing away and into a family of elves, and that's only where it begins. Viewers will discover, alongside a cast of characters, why Santa does his work at night, why we use Christmas stockings, how he got his magic, and how and why he met Mrs. Claus. Depending on what airing you're catching, the future Mrs. Claus has a very dramatic, 70s-esque musical number. It's sometimes cut from the program; so look out for it! Speaking of music, it's very good here. Everything is very catchy and all around, it's an enjoyable program. Still, if you want to see the full thing, buy it on DVD because there is another number that is always almost left out of TV airings due to differences with beliefs of the time period about what is "appropriate." 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

You know how it goes. A young reindeer born with a red nose struggles to fit in with the other reindeer and runs away. He eventually meets up with some other misfits: Hermy, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, who is looking to strike gold. They eventually wind up at the Island of Misfit Toys, where they consider how to find these unusual toys homes. When Rudolph arrives back home, he ends up saving the day when a historic blizzard hits, both for kids around the world and for the misfit toys. A bit of a disjointed story, but a classic anyway. A must see every year!

I'd always liked this one better than its cousin, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, for some reason. It's kind of weird in a way, given how so many characters are a jerk to Rudolph. I just chalk it up as wanting to teach kids a lesson about being different. It also had to fit the song, I guess. It also pretty much defined the North Pole aesthetic. The buildings among snow, the animals, the elf outfits...so much of what we know about the famous place comes from Rudolph. Movies like Elf take inspiration directly from it. 

Arthur's Perfect Christmas

I can't be the only adult who likes this. Whenever I come across an Arthur episode on YouTube, the comment section is saturated with "I'm 36 and I still watch Arthur!" or "What am I doing as a college student watching Arthur at 2 AM?" Simply put, it's that good of a cartoon. And while the show sometimes gets preachy with a message near the end, it's usually not throughout most of the episode. The characters are so well-fleshed out that this could be real life with animals...and even then sometimes I forget they're animals...but they wouldn't work as well for me if they were people either....which is weird. I genuinely love this special and find it just an entertaining as any full-length movie. 

This one is a hodgepodge of greatness and several different storylines. First you have Arthur, who is looking forward to the best Christmas ever, but things keep not going his way..the tree, the dinner, no snow, the gift (that one hurts to watch every year). When his uncle Fred shows up, maybe he'll get a Christmas miracle after all. You have Buster, whose mother is so stressed out and frantic trying to create the perfect Christmas that she keeps thinking it's the 25th and wakes Buster at 6 every day with pancakes and presents. Will Buster find a solution? It's also Muffy's big Christmas party, and Francine can't come because she is celebrating Hanukkah that day. But Muffy won't listen, and this causes a rift between the two. There's also a running gag of Binky trying to perfect a Christmas dessert but always getting things wrong.

Be forewarned: this kids' special does something unprecedented. There are considerable hints that there is no Santa, especially when D.W. is asking for Tina the Talking Tabby and her parents tell her that not everyone can have everything, and share anxious glances with one another. Not all kids may pick up on this, but some very well could. 

Elf

A human who was raised as an elf goes to New York, innocent spirit with him, to find his real father and to get to know him a little better. The only problem? His father is actually a greedy publishing executive on the Naughty List who doesn't care for people who think they are elves. When disaster strikes on Christmas Eve, everyone comes together to save Santa through the power of Christmas spirit. 

The real magic of Elf is how you could either put it on at a second-grade class party or your office party and have everyone be entertained. Almost every Christmas movie fan loves it, and it's such a great premise that doesn't try to cater to any age group. Not some naysayers who aren't as big fans say that it wouldn't have been a good movie if not for Will Ferrell. I gotta say, he rocks it. And all the comedy here is spot-on. But what if, what if, someone else was playing the role? There are some comedic actors who could have really butchered it. Fortunately, we don't have to think about that because it didn't happen. Regardless, Elf is one of the best Christmas movies and one of my favorites of all time. And yes, that's partially because Will Ferrell does one of his best acting jobs yet. Super fun, festive, and a must-watch. 

A Christmas Story

Whenever I hear someone write on a blog that this wasn't a blockbuster success, and everyone gasps, I'm not surprised. This is not a Hollywood spectacle and was never meant to be. It's a timeless classic that you watch at home, with the lights on the tree twinkling and with your family gathered around. 

This isn't just a movie about a kid wanting a gun. This is about taking a look back at a nostalgic Christmas and remembering all the traditions: picking a tree, visiting Santa, wanting that special toy, and starting unique traditions (Chinese for dinner, anyone?). There's also a lot of childhood nostalgia described...getting a coveted A on an essay you think is the best thing since sliced bread, dealing with bullies, and parent relationships. Combined with the unique Christmas story brand of humor, like the Bumpuss' dogs, washing your mouth with soap, and "OH FUDGE!" this movie does everything very well. I would say it probably beats Elf by half of a small hair, if that. It was so hard to decide between the two. But A Christmas Story's value as a Christmas Eve tradition seals the deal for me. 

Rejected Specials (the ones I just can't do)

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Four Christmases

Basically a couple tries to visit all four sets of families on Christmas. I watched this with my grandparents once...er, tried...and we couldn't get in past 25 minutes. It was lots of physical fighting and arguments, and the plot seemed very thin. Maybe it's on me for not giving it a chance, but it seemed very silly and not too substantial.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year/Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

These lack all the charm of the original, and I can tell you without even having sat down and watched them (they've gone as far as being on in my house).Where's Hermy? Where's Yukon Cornelius? Where's the Bumble? Where are the other elves and reindeer? Instead we have a very odd mashup of Ben Franklin, a caveman (or something), and an eagle. They're both just very strange and clearly a cash grab. I just can't connect to them at all.

A Christmas Story Live (TV version)

This was another one that my grandparents and I tried only to turn it off after half an hour. This just does not need to be a musical, and I know that some people will disagree here, but I didn't see any appeal. They obviously had trouble coming up with material to write songs from. The second song is a big-budget, flashy number about the father's enjoyment of crossword puzzles, just to give you an idea, which isn't important to the plot. The songs I heard were not memorable in the least, or catchy, or very good. And what was with that opening??? I would stick to the movie. This tries too hard to be big-budget flash to the point where it's corny, and that doesn't include the bad singing or obvious filler that most of the songs are. When most of the songs in a musical are filler, you know it shouldn't have been one in the first place.

Funny enough: the Nostalgia Critic came out with a review of this musical the very day I started writing this. It's safe to say that I'm pretty glad that I didn't watch any farther than I did, so I can no longer say it's on me.

Jim Carrey's How The Grinch Stole Christmas

There's certainly a fan base for this, and that's fine. It's their opinion, and it's still considerably not-as-bad as other Seuss films out there. But I just don't like it that much. It's darker than the original and a little on the creepy side. It loses a lot of the Seuss touch, and the Whos are actually kind of jerks who deserve to have Christmas taken away. Really, it wasn't any wonder why the Grinch turned out the way he did. I don't love it, but maybe you do.

Frosty the Snowman

It's not offensive. Of course there will be an audience for it. The story of how the snowman magically comes to life and must escape to the North Pole before melting just doesn't have the staying power years later for me, like Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph. My only issue is that it's very kid-centered and obviously is trying to cater to that age group. It's just no longer that enjoyable as an adult. But if kids love it, good for them. It just doesn't hold up when you're past the age of nine.

I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown

Linus' little brother Rerun loves how Charlie Brown and Snoopy interact, so he wants a dog of his own. His mother won't allow it, so he must resort to inviting Snoopy over to play. This is a great example of how some Peanuts specials can be just plain BAD, despite how good the best of them are. If you want to see the same repetitive formula of Rerun riding his mother's bike, going over to Charlie Brown's house ("Why don't you ask your dog if he can *insert activity here*? and then doing some ridiculous activity, this is for you. See Charlie Brown's face in the corner? That's my reaction to this special. It's charmless, bland, boring, and just a really stupid cash cow. We also needed more of the regular Peanuts characters. Rerun is a robot devoid of personality and that didn't help. Skip it and stick to the classic. I will say that it is slightly more watchable than the claymated sequels just because I'd rather watch Charlie Brown than that group.


Feel free to add in your own thoughts, or abuse for me never having seen Home Alone, or whatever you'd like. Merry Christmas to all!